they killed. >> joey scarborough says -- >> you're going to have to fight about it. >> we'll fight it out. >> so two books today advertised on this show. dick wolf's book, both must-reads. and also amazing fact we discovered today. buddy holly died at 22. >> 22. if you go back and listen to holly's catalog, written in the mid '50s, it is better than anything. almost anything. >> all written before he was 22. >> 22. what he did with overdubbing, what he did with scoring. what -- i mean, it was -- >> harmony, lyrics. >> unbelievable. 22. that's one of the most stunning figures. >> the way most people can't get doo-wa-diddy out of their can't -- >> we are headed to the hill today. new congress. you're going to wear that? >> i'm going to wear this. and put my pin right here. maybe they'll let me on the

floor. can't wait. hey, they're getting sworn in today. congratulations to new members of congress. i have faith. i have confidence in confidence alone. you guys are going to have a great 113th session. good luck. and now here's chuck. well, if you're superstitious about the number 13, and have we got a congress for you. 2013 brings us the 113th congress. it's a baker's dozen of sorts. but can this crowd actually get cooking on the debt, spending, immigration, guns, on anything else? here's one guy who is not optimistic. new jersey governor chris christie. he uses the bully pulpit better than anybody to turn up the heat on the house for stalling on more sandy storm relief. and secretary of state hillary clinton is out of the hospital after being treated for a blood clot in her head. we'll have the latest on her condition and what's next as she prepares to leave the obama

administration. good morning from washington. it's thursday, january 3rd, 2013. thi this this is the daily rundown, i'm chuck todd. 82 house freshmen and a dozen new senators will be sworn in today as the 113th congress convenes. and the budget fights that the new congress issin herriting look a whole lot like the budget fights this country has been dragged through over the last two years. the 112th congress goes out with quite the bang, if you will. it will adjourn as mathematically the least proddive and least popular congress on record, just about 220 bills passed by the 112th congress signed into law. the last passed 383 bills, before that, 460 bills. the last time the nbc news wall street journal poll measured, it was barely in double digits at 12% for the approval rating.

it's not hard to figure out way. they started by narrowly ajoiding a government shutdown. that was the first fight. it nearly drove the u.s. government into default. and culminated with the fiscal cliff face-off here at the end. congress made two big promises. at least the house republicans did. repealing health care and shrinking spending. you could argue, they're 0 for 2. but they deserve points on the spending front. every spending bill is a real fight. and that is progress as far as conservatives are concerned. still, the first act ended late wednesday when the president directed from hawaii that the fiscal cliff bill be signed by autopen and declared victory in a campaign style video. >> just recently, republicans in congress said they never agreed to raise tax rates on the wealthiest americans. we have now raised those rates permanently. >> and that's what is still remarkable about what the

president pulled off. he got republicans to help him raise taxes, something bill clinton couldn't get done. the second act begins today, though. senate republican leader mitch mcconnell kicks it off saying, quote, the president may not want to have a fight about government spending over the next few months, but it's a fight he is going to have. the rating agency, moody's, warned yesterday the battles over the debt ceiling could lower the nation's credit rating again. that's a fight some republicans, though, want to have. >> our opportunity here is on the debt ceiling. the president has made it very clear. he doesn't even want to have a discussion about it, because he knows, this is where we have leverage. we republicans need to be willing to tolerate a temporary/partial government shutdown, which is what that could mean. >> one question facing republicans, who will lead the party? at least here in washington. today house speaker john boehner will likely be elected as the nominal leader of the party of the house. the question, though, can he be an effective leader and an effective speaker.

he enters this new congress in a very fragile position. his relationship with the white house is not good. but for all we know, his relationship with mitch mcconnell may not be that good, considering how close house republicans were in leaving senate republicans hanging out to dry a couple days ago. yesterday, the unsubstantiated rumors were rampant that boehner was in so much trouble he might not become speaker. though there may be enough dissenters today to keep the editors of the tabloids happy. boehner has no real challenger and therefore is likely to secure his spot as pespeaker. but only 17 conservatives have to vote against him for us to see the second ballot for speaker since 1923, a message in and of itself. yesterday congressman tom price who says he does not plan to challenge boehner now dismissed questions about whether he might challenge him in the future as, quote, intrigue is rampant. here's what price said. >> i think we need red state representation in both our

leadership as well as the organizing committees that we have. >> it's interesting, if you look at the top three, what he's referring to. boehner from ohio, turned blue, two in a row. cantor from virginia. mccarthy from california. house republicans have turned every spending bill into a debate. that is an accomplishment for the political party that wants to be the party of small government. but this week, that produced an embarrassing fight over aid for the victims of superstorm sandy. after boehner pulled a $60 billion sandy spending bill from the house floor late on tuesday, perhaps worried what was going to happen after the fiscal cliff bill, that it would go down, that didn't sit well with some republicans from the northeast who raked him over the coals. >> we cannot believe that this cruel knife in the back was delivered to our region. >> the federal government doesn't have a role in this?

absurd. absolutely absurd. >> i think it's inexcusable that we did not have this vote. >> we have been devastated. and i would hope that the speaker will bring this to the floor as quickly as possible. >> but the worst tongue lashing came, again, boehner came from new jersey governor, chris christie. a political version of the incredible hulk. you don't want to make chris christie angry. >> there's only one group to blame for the continued suffering of these innocent victims. the house majority and their speaker, john boehner. i called the speaker four times last night after 11:20, and he did not take my calls. i'm not going to get into the specifics of what i discussed with john boehner today. but what i will tell you is, there is no reason for me at the moment to believe anything they tell me. on a political chess board of internal palace intrigue politics, our people were played

last night as a pawn. >> wow. well, some who apparently did call christie tuesday night, congressman eric cantor. when cantor decided to share with christie his version of what happened to sandy relief, we all want to know, did cantor know that christie would go public with that version of events? remember all those stories about cantor and boehner becoming closer? so much for that. new york republicans, michael grimm and peter king first suggested wednesday they might actually abstain for voting for boehner as speaker. but what a difference 24 hours makes. after the political storm broke out, boehner rushed to meet with the delegation and made a pledge that the newly sworn-in congress will vote on the $9 billion in flood insurance relief on friday, and that in two weeks, consider the much larger part of the sandy aid package, a $50 billion aid package, if you will. that 24 hours. here's congressman peter king then and then here's congressman peter king now. >> republicans have no trouble

finding new york when it comes to raising money. and i would say anyone from new york or new jersey who contributes one penny to congressional republicans after this should have their head examined. what's done is done. the fact is when the money was on the line yesterday, when the decision had to be made, john boehner made the right decision. >> finally, as the new members of the 113th congress prepare to be sworn in later today, here's a look at the new congress by the numbers. the house republican majority does decline from 240 in the last congress to 233. the democratic ranks increased to 200. there are two vacancies, tim scott joins the senate. jesse jackson jr.'s seat is empty for now. those will move them both up 234-201. the senate democratic caucus, which includes two independents, expanded its majority now to 55. there are 45 republicans in the new senate. the 113th congress is the most diverse ever. with 101 women, 43 african-americans, 31 latinos, 12 asian-americans and 7 openly gay or bisexual members. and remember for the first time

in history white men will not make up the majority of the house democratic caucus. a record-breaking 20 women will serve in the senate. and for the first time, the new congress will have an all-female delegation. there it is. representing the state of new hampshire. and those are the fewest number of military veterans in the senate in house since world war ii, tammy duckworth of illinois and tulsi gabbard of illinois will be the first female combat veterans to serve in coming. also the first hindu. the senate will have its first buddhist in the hawaii senator. some familiar faces will be gone. so long to florida congressman allen west. but there are plenty of new ones to watch in the 113th congress. there's, of course, democratic senator, soon to be the senior senator from massachusetts, elizabeth warren. independent senator angus king, who will caucus with the

democrats, but he is certain to play an interesting role. and don't underestimate the one new republican senator to enter this. deb fischer, a woman there -- she's going to be someone to watch. don't assume she is just somebody that's going to be tea party through and through. all right, developing now. you're looking at live pictures here of the capitol hill visitors' center. a lot of ceremonial swearing in going on. this is for the congressional black caucus and about to begin with 42 members in the 114th congress. it remains the largest racial minority caucus on the hill. ohio congresswoman marsha fudge is set to take over as chair, democratic leader, nancy pelosi expected to attend the ceremony and address members there. we will keep following all of these events this morning. this is supposed to be a fun, uplifting day. but, boy, after the last 72 hours, you can tell there is not the same pomp and circumstance in this town that there normally is when a new congress begins to take over. well, this cliff battle is

over. or at least paused. but the real war on spending is just beginning. up next, i'm going to talk to tennessee senator bob corker. he's got a plan that he wants to deal with the debt and entitlements and says president obama is, quote, out of the game in the next round of negotiations. plus, brownout. the defeated massachusetts republican isn't wasting any time going after his most likely democratic obstacle. if brown decides to go back to the senate. he certainly sounds like a candidate. first a look ahead at the president's schedule. he has resumed his vacation in hawaii. will be there for a few more days. so no public events. for now. you're watching "the daily rundown" only on msnbc. [ fishing rod casting line, marching band playing ] [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat? campbell's healthy request soup lets you hear it... in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. great taste. mmm... [ male announcer ] sounds good. it's amazing what soup can do.

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senate republican leader mitch mcconnell says the president is going to get a fight over the debt ceiling, whether he likes it or not. and some of his colleagues are already putting out plans that show how the country's borrowing limit might be used as leverage. with me now, tennessee republican senator bob corker. senator, happy new year. and welcome back to now the 113th congress. i guess you guys will gavel in, in about three hours. >> that's right. 24-hour break. >> yeah, wasn't much of a transition. let me start with -- i know you wanted -- how did things end. how concerned were you that here you had senate republicans basically united around a deal nobody was happy about, but a deal you felt you had to support. and that house republicans almost undid it. i mean -- describe your feelings about that as you were watching that on january 1st. >> you know, i never thought it was going to be undone. let's face it, this was not a

bill anyone really liked. and at the end of the day, chuck, you can always run from these votes. on a big vote like this, i consider them to be defining moments. always have to look at myself as the deciding vote. in other words, would we be better off as a country with this policy in place, or the policy that it's replacing. and i think if you look at it that way, there's no question that it was the right vote. but it was a terrible bill. and candidly, we would have come out with a much better product if we had just done it on the senate floor, in public. but now we have to move down the road to this next phase. and it's a shame, chuck, that we live in this wonderful, great nation, the greatest on earth, and that leaders -- all of us cannot just come together and figure out a way to solve this problem that we have of huge deficits. unfortunately, you have to use these leverage points. and so we move -- >> i want to talk about that. because you were not a fan of

using the debt ceiling as leverage just two years -- september 2011. i want to read a statement. >> okay. >> you said, i do agree with the fact that having these debt ceiling debates in the middle of an economic downturn that we're having right now is not healthy, and there's no question that business people, those people that hire employees across our country, watch this and become uncertain. and yet you're now -- you and your party are saying, well, we're going to do this. and pat toomey is willing to shut down the government over it. are you willing to shut down the government over this? >> well, chuck, let me go back and say, i wanted us to pivot from revenues about five weeks ago, and sort of laid a bread crumb trail towards the end that we achieved. but i would hope that we would pivot immediately to entitlement reforms. the president showed he just really doesn't want to deal with that now, and unfortunately, the next line in the sand is the debt ceiling. and so when you look at us, the president voted against the dead ceiling increase, and we had a 62% debt to gdp.

we're now at 105, and we're red lining that. it's rising dramatically. and so i don't know how you get this president to look at spending reductions. you know, he said in the negotiations with speaker boehner that he had offered $1 trillion in cuts. and i think you do a great job, chuck. but nobody in the media has ever pressed him for the actually specific list of cuts. so here we have a situation where we've never received -- >> let me stop you there a minute. >> okay. >> i understand this whole issue. and i feel like i get this now from both -- the culture we live in, in the media, is both sides are afraid to put out the details. >> not put them out. you know that i've put -- >> i know you have. but leadership won't. the house republicans didn't do it either. and the reason is this. you know as well as i do why details don't get put out. because there's always a special interest group that can kill an entire plan. >> that's right. >> because of leaked details. isn't that part of the problem? >> well, i think we would be so

much better off. i have laid out a very detailed plan. actually, chuck, even for the grand bargain, i sent a copy of legislative language to the white house, to harry reid, to mcconnell, to pelosi, to boehner, to say, look, this really isn't that hard. now that we've moved beyond that, i have a $1 trillion entitlement reform package for a $1 trillion debt ceiling increase, and it is very, very specific. i think if the white house would go ahead and show us what those $1 trillion in cuts -- again, that no one has ever seen. nobody on the face of the earth has ever seen outside -- i don't think it exists, candidly. but if they would put that out right now, chuck, this debate could move along so much more quickly. and we could look like adults here, instead of having to use leverage points to get us to a place to save this nation. i mean, this is all about one thing, is it not? and that is us having the courage to lay our cards out on

the table, in public, and save this country. and there's no question that we have to have entitlement reforms. in medicare, chuck, and i know you know this. maybe your listening audience may not. people who use medicare today pay for one-third of its cost. one-third. and there are 20 million more americans coming on medicare over this next decade. now, you have to be a lunatic to not want to address that issue now so that it's here for future generations. and yes, people are going to be upset. but this is what people do much. this is what generations before us did to keep this nation great. so, look, i hope we don't get to the debt ceiling line in the sand. but i would rather us go ahead and be responsible now for this than kicking the can down the road. this quarter could be great. >> where are you on filibuster reform? i know that this is actually -- cuts across party lines here. would you like to see some changes in how the senate conducts business on filibuster?

>> we actually -- chuck, it's not the rules right now. it's the behavior of people in the senate that is keeping it from working. and really, candidly, at leadership levels, too. my sense is that the two leaders are going to sit down and come up with some reforms that will help us now that we have seen that senators, you know, act with excess here in the united states senate. but i think we need to do it in the normal fashion, where we do it with a two-thirds vote. and chuck, i really believe that's what's going to happen. i think there has been a bipartisan -- >> we're going to start seeing two-thirds votes above 60. >> no, no, no. >> oh. >> when you change rules, typically on the first day of the senate, you do it with a two-thirds vote. and my sense is that the two leaders are going to figure out a way to put some reforms in place that work for our nation. but do so in a way that they come together and make the recommendations together. i really think that still is what's going to happen here. but there's no question, chuck. senators have become very selfish in the way they conduct

themselves on the senate floor. and we've got to move towards more comedy to actually address our nation's issues. and i think we're going to do that this year. i really do. >> agreement on that. senator bob corker, always a pleasure. thank you. >> thank you. next a return home for secretary hillary clinton. a return to work for a senator after suffering a stroke. remarkable return, actually. and a return for 500 sandy hook students. today's trivia question. name the most recent house speaker who was not elected on the first ballot. give me the answer at chuck todd. i'm at dailyrundown. the first correct answer will get get something from us. we'll be right back.

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on our radar this morning, after a long recovery, welcome back to the senate for illinois's mark kirk. senator scott brown to be next senator took some jabs at a possible opponent and the data set for south carolina's special election. first we want to tell you about secretary of state hillary clinton. she is now recovering at home today after being released from the hospital. clinton was admitted for treatment of a blood clot sunday. the secretary's senior adviser released a statement saying clinton is making good progress on all fronts and her medical team is confident she will make a full recovery. clinton's daughter, chelsea, also tweeted this. quote, thank you to the doctors, nurses and staff at new york presbyterian hospital, columbia university medical center for taking great care of my mom. a triumphant return today to the capitol for illinois republican senator mark kirk. he will walk up the steps this morning of the capitol as he returns to the senate for the first time since suffering a stroke nearly one year ago. kirk was largely paralyzed on his left side and under went

rehabilitation most of the past year. he is expected to be welcomed today by some of his fellow senators and vice president joe biden. kirk told nbc that he's walking up the steps to be an example to other stroke patients. >> i wanted everybody to say, you know, that depressed moment you can have when a stroke hits, say, look, kirk is even walking up the capitol steps as an example to patients. >> if you get time today, a tweeted a great story, the interview he did with "the daily herald" in the suburban newspapers there in chicago. it's really worth the read and worth your time. massachusetts republican senator about to be ex senator scott brown hasn't officially announced whether he plans on competing in the assumed special election to fill senator john kerry's seat, assuming john kerry does become the next secretary of state. he seems to have taken -- mr. brown, that is, taking on ed

markey, who is a possible opponent. yesterday on the jim and marjorie show, their last program of last year, brown questioned markey's residency. >> you have to check the travel record. i see most of the delegation. i have never seen ed on the airplane, ever. >> senator kerry, by the way, is back, the long-time massachusetts congressman, markey and a whole bunch of others rallied around him. scott brown is supposedly wondering whether to become governor or attempt to be not someone who loses two senate seats in less than a year. south carolina governor nikki haley announced the special election to fill soon to be scott's house seat will be may 7th. scott officially resigned from the house yesterday. and finally, school students from sandy hook elementary, they

will return to class this morning. it's been nearly a month since a gunman shot and killed 26 very small children and the adults in that school still being treated as a crime scene. so students will go to class at a refurbished school in a neighboring town. police officers have been guarding the sandy hook school and say it is, quote, the safest school in america right now. the opening bell is about to ring on wall street. investors are hoping for another day of triple digit gains. if they get it, it won't be because of the fiscal cliff. the markets are watching new data out this morning from good old adp, reporting that the private sector created, ready for this, 215,000 jobs in december. that's nearly 100,000 more jobs than economists were expecting. the weekly jobless claims rose though, to 372,000. it may have been skewed by the holiday season. all of this sets the stage for the big december jobs report, which, of course, comes out tomorrow. and we will have our typical live once a month coverage of it. wall street started the new

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so you can easily send them to us. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. ooh, la-la! ah, i miss that music and that open. as the new congress prepares to get started on capitol hill, the 2013 session has already begun in several states around the country. the country around -- well, divided government is the order of the day in d.c. it's rapidly becoming a washington-only problem. today a deep dive into the dramatic rise of one-party dominance across the country. as you know, state control is split the same way federal power is split, at least when it comes to basic governing and legislating between the white house and congress. so free basis of power in the states, including the governor's mansion and we know about nebraska but that includes the senate and a house of

representatives or a state assembly, divided government would mean as a governor from one party and at least one legislative chamber controlled by the opposite party. that condition is becoming exceedingly rare. ready for this? this year 37 states have just one party in control of all three bases of that power. the largest number, in 60 years. take a look at this map. republicans are in total control here. total control of 24 states. they have consolidated power, as you can see here, in the south. that's not a surprising -- you look here. in the plains. kansas, oklahoma, texas also very much like the south. the one little surprise here, you've got virginia, senate divided but republicans do have technical control, because of lieutenant governor. and we know wisconsin's very closely divided. but technical control, nonetheless. democrats have the other 13 of those 37. not surprising here. you see a stronghold here in the

northeast. and, of course, out here west, over the pacific there with the white. and then the one surprise would be the west virginia, west virginia very conservative state. culturally, the republican party still hasn't caught up there. now, power is going to be split in this way. divided government. just 13 states have some sort of divided power. look at this. in 2005, more than half the country had divided state government. 2011, it was 20 states. down to 13. does it continue even more? let's take a look at this. this is where we have divided government with republican governors. maine, new jersey, new mexico, nevada, all of those governors will be interesting to see how many of them are very vulnerable in 2014 or not. christie, obviously, is the 2013 -- not very null vulnerable. maine, very vulnerable. this could be where some of the action is here.

democratic legislatures here. here are the places where there are democratic governors and a divided legislature. arkansas, missouri and montana. arkansas is sort of the lone holdout in the south where republicans have gotten everything. but they have super majorities in places like missouri and arkansas. so they have effectively -- they can override any veto of the democratic governor, whether it's tax rates, any of those things. so they have effective control on that front. let's look at this, the other places where there is divided government in iowa, the house and senate. the governor there, republican governor. new hampshire, oh, you've seen there, not surprising. washington state, a little surprising. since it's a state with democratic dominance, if you will. and kentucky, a little surprising, since it's a state with republican dominance. now i want to bring in a person who is obsessed with this topic. he has written a lot about it. it's the editor in chief of national journals hot line, reid wilson. this one-party thing, you've

been tracking for a while. it's now matching the electoral map. it's like everything is coming into place, and we're watching it now on the states. what kind of effect does it have? >> what's happening, effectively, the national -- the way we think of federal offices is now becoming the way we think of state and local offices. it used to be that people would vote differently for, say, governor than they would for u.s. senate. there were democratic governors of oklahoma and wyoming and montana recently still a democratic governor of montana. there were republican governors of vermont and rhode island, massachusetts, mitt romney. very blue states. that sort of distinction between federal office holders and statewide office holders is disappearing. the party label is becoming so much more possibility than even the local issues. >> and i think we're going to see here, i assume, is this, right, which is over time, if -- if we're looking at a 10, 20-year trend line here, and who knows, this thing could turn on a dime. but it doesn't feel like it's going to. because most states hold their elections in off years,

nonpresidential years. republicans are going to be more dominant in state legislatures for a time. and democrats' best shots at splitting this up is always going to be in governor -- >> not only in governors' races -- but in the state house chambers that do have elections every two years. they have the elections, and in the on year. we have seen some really dramatic swings over the last couple years. >> walk me through. >> 2010, we saw a 700-seat legislative swing from the ds to the rs. one in every ten states in the -- one in every ten legislative states in the country flipped from a d to an r, so beyond congress, the success the republicans had there. that 2010 flip led to the redistricting that has essentially solidified the republican majority in congress. so you're seeing this over the long run, that these seats flip. >> and this is going to have, obviously, legislative impact. and we have seen the state of michigan, seen the state of wisconsin, the big fights that were going to have -- on labor

issues. that's probably where we're seeing it first. what other issues do you think we're going to start seeing where this one party control is then going to create sort of national headlines. >> the first thing that happens when a new majority takes over a legislature, they try to change all the election rules, to make sure they have the advantage. what we have seen over the last couple years has been just exactly those changes. voter i.d. legislation and republican controlled states, occur tailing early voting days in states like florida and ohio, places all over the country have been sort of retinkering with all their election laws. this comes after a decade in which democrats, when they controlled these legislatures, expanded early voting, expanding access to absentee ballots. and there was no voter i.d. legislation going through there. so i think the next big baths is going to come over things like voter laws, how we vote, how easy it is to vote. and by the way, watch the supreme court, because the voting rights act is going to be a big issue. >> and one more that you have been writing about has to do with the electoral college.

that there are even some really aggressive legislatures, particularly we know they toyed with it in pennsylvania, might try to change their rules in the electoral college since they see that republicans may have a permanent problem. >> and this is coming -- >> or semi permanent problem. >> this is coming from washington, d.c., senior republicans here, who really like the idea of being able to compete for that vote in maine, really hate the idea of having to compete for that electoral vote in omaha, nebraska. now we're seeing states like pennsylvania, michigan, wisconsin, states like that where there are complete republican control in states that go blue on the presidential level. we could see that being changed too. >> interesting fights, interesting way to look at it. it's unbelievable that how -- we have divided government here. the rest of the country -- >> it's the salad dressing. we're pulling apart. the separation of the salad dressing. >> very interesting analogy. reid wilson, thank you very much, sir. >> thank you. the speaker setbacks. john boehner will get to keep his gavel today.

but, boy, does he really want it? who really runs his conference? the gaggle joins me next. but first, it's the white house soup of the day. yes, the mess is open. and it's loaded potato. could have used some of that a couple days ago. don't forget to check out our website, rundown@msnbc.com. coming soon, soup recipes, i think. we'll be right back. you're watching "the daily rundown" on msnbc. [ ryon ] eating shrimp at red lobster is a fantastic experience. 30 shrimp for $11.99. i can't imagine anything better. you're getting a ton of shrimp, and it tastes really good! [ male announcer ] hurry in to red lobster's 30 shrimp for just $11.99! choose any two of five savory shrimp selections, like mango jalapeño shrimp and parmesan crunch shrimp. two delicious shrimp selections on one plate! all with salad and unlimited cheddar bay biscuits. 30 shrimp, just $11.99 for a limited time. wow, that's a lot of shrimp. i'm ryon stewart, i'm the ultimate shrimp lover, and i sea food differently.

that make kids happy. and even fewer that make moms happy too. with wholesome noodles and bite sized chicken, nothing brings you together like chicken noodle soup from campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. well, wednesday was not john boehner's day. he got hit from the left and the right. but what a difference a day makes. as house republicans prepare to vote on their new leaders less than 24 hours after ripping the speaker for not allowing a vote on sandy funding, dockmcongress peter king's tone was kinder this morning. >> i do consider john boehner a friend, which is what really

hurt the other day. john will be re-elected speaker. john is really a voice of reason in our conference, despite some of the things i said yesterday. >> classic peter. let's bring in peri bacon jr. from the associated press, and david drucker associate politics editor for roll call. david, this is your neck of the woods. roll call's neck of the woods. let's start with palace intrigue. something peter king said which i think underscores why is john boehner in charge of this conference, and nobody else. and that is, he has this sort of fragile coalition of old bulls, the remaining moderate republicans. >> right. >> and a bunch of people who don't want to see eric cantor as speaker. >> yeah. >> essentially provides his majority, right? >> i think for people wondering why the speaker is going to retain the gavel today, most likely -- >> very weakened state. let's realize. >> he's beaten up and has really

nothing to show for the last two years. whatever you can say about anybody else in this town. but there are three things to note here. first of all, if the speaker is to be replaced or taken out, first you need somebody who wants the job. i don't know of anybody outside of eric cantor that wants the job. second of all, you need somebody who can get the votes, a cross-section of the conference, the old bulls, tea party players. and the reasonable people who worry about how the speaker might reflect on them. somebody like peter king from new york who doesn't need somebody who is out there as a speaker. finally, you need somebody who is willing to risk losing. there is nobody who has all three characteristics. and boehner is a pretty widely political operator, more so than people give him credit for. he's failed to do much, but in terms of keeping the speakership, he can do that. >> there's another model for speaker, and that is sort of the figure head speaker is unfair. and i want to say dennis haster was a figurer head but it was different with the number two, not with the number one. there isn't that obvious person either. >> no. >> if you will. you go back there.

so john boehner retains this gavel. is it -- why should he even want the -- i'm surprised he wants it. >> well, i think, perhaps, you know -- if we're going to look at the other side for a minute, maybe he's looking at this. yes, in a weakened state. but does this not give him an opportunity now to say, you know what, i tried it your way, far right. i'm going to take bills to the floor, even if they don't have majority republican house support. and really shoot for some grand compromises. maybe he does go back to the old school way of how he used to be, which was, you know, trying to strike the grand bargain and going across the aisle and such to get big issues done. frankly, it's going to be really hard to get issues like immigration, gun control -- >> it is. and i guess my question -- who talks to the white house? who will negotiate for the republican party on capitol hill? john boehner said it's not going to be him. >> exactly. john boehner actually said, i'm not going to have one-on-one meetings with the president anymore and negotiate a bill. it basically sends the power to mitch mcconnell which we saw

already. >> or is it somebody else. >> or somebody else. the house ultimately is an important part of what happens in washington. boehner is conceding i can't lead this caucus now in the way i would like to. my compromises aren't working. >> the thing that struck me yesterday, does any of you believe here, and david, let me start with you. when eric cantor told chris christie what happened to the bill, that his name would be used when chris christie went to the bully pulpit. do you really think that eric cantor thought that? is. >> i think eric cantor knew exactly what he was doing. >> do you think he wanted that public, though? >> i don't think he minded so much. because i think that given his -- if you saw the speaker, the leader and everybody else work together on plan b. but on the final cliff deal, guess what? cantor and mccarthy -- >> but ryan went with boehner. and that was a big deal that showed there wasn't this, like -- >> ryan -- look, ryan understands the realities of governing, and he takes a long view. he was the -- look, ryan was the lone wolf at a time when republicans didn't have many people pushing for everything

they say they want now. but i think cantor was looking to create a little separation. >> but i can't imagine he thought christie -- that's got to -- whatever bad vibes that were between the bad mojo if you will between boehner and cantor that supposedly had been erased, it's gone. >> well, i think that that just highlights all the divisions that we're seeing right now in the republican party. i mean, it's christie, and against, you know, boehner on sandy. you've got the caucus split. you've got all these different divisions and we're going to continue to see more and more. >> bashing congress is a past time of johnny carson, jay leno, david letterman. but if it becomes now a past time of republican governors -- okay, that's a problem. for the republican party. >> christie thought it was a very good idea -- christie is a good politician, as we know from before the election. very smart -- >> when he's running for re-election. what if that gets contagious? >> and i think it that gets contagious? >> i and i think it very well

could. o not just obvious guys like chris christie. >> there's other faces to watch. i feel like we haven't had time to welcome these new guys in because we never told the other guys to leave. we asked to you name the most recent speaker who was not elected on the first ballot. the answer frederick gillett of course of massachusetts. it took nine ballots in three days for him to be reelected to the speakership for a third term. thank you to frank thorpe for digging that one up. could he become a household name for the day? we'll be right back. [ man ] ring ring... progresso this reduced sodium soup says it may help lower cholesterol, how does it work? you just have to eat it as part of your heart healthy diet. step 1. eat the soup. all those veggies and beans, that's what may help lower your cholesterol and -- well that's easy [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

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let's bring back the gaggle.

we have a new congress coming in. 2013 brings the 113th congress. were the mayans -- >> we get to get rid of the old congress so let's take our chances. >> we have a whole bunch of new faces. everybody knows elizabeth warren is the new face to watch, the soon to be senior senator out of massachusetts. all of these senior senators elected in november, in about two hours. who else you watching? >> tim scott, historic role, he'll be the black senator, first republican black senator since the 1970s. i don't know if he'll have a big impact on legislation but i think his symbolic role will be huge and interesting to watch. >> he seems to be somebody, he doesn't want it be pigeon holed as just another tea party guy. he's certainly a conservative but trying to be what i call a conservative with a smooil.

-- smile. >> he's not going to be jim demint. >> ted cruz. >> the guy who is still trying to figure out how to get to be president. he's openly talked about that. is that going to get in his way, that ambition? >> with jim demint leaving, there's a role for a fiery advocate to be filled. >> chuck, ted cruz also has a role at the nrsc. i'm looking at paul ryan. heeps what a taste of the big time. what does he really want to do? is it still ways and means chairman or does he have bigger eyes right now? >> if i were the white house, i would say let's let ryan and the white house negotiate that ceiling. >> it makes too much sense. >> it does. shameless plug. >> burnt orange. what do you got? >> in role call, we look at how the leaders function in the

fiscal cliff debate. we looked at harry reid, mitch mcconnell, john boehner, et al, and roll call now freeline. >> on mondays i'm going to start writing a column, moving away from my editing duties and putting on my writing hat again. >> there's a great piece in "national journal," why rubio voted for this deal. >> the most important divide until we create a new one. that's it for this edition of "the daily rundown." tomorrow on the show, it's jobs day. we'll have the breaking news on the december unemployment report. coming up next, chris jansing. bye-bye. self. with unitedhealthcare, i get personalized information and rewards for addressing my health risks. but she's still going to give me a heart attack. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare.